Released September 18, 2026 as free (cc) digital download and in beautiful limited CD edition.

PASTORAL is a French-Belgian ambient music and visual arts duo associated with the Transcultures center, founded in 2010 by Christophe Bailleau (French musician and visual artist) and Philippe Franck (sound artist, critic, and founder of Transcultures). The duo's artistic style is a blend of ambient, post-folk electronica, and post-rock, combining ethereal or earthy sound textures, impressionistic melodies, video projections, and poetic texts. Their debut album "L’échappée belle" was released in 2019 by the Transonic label (produced by Transcultures) together with a book of diptychs pairing color photographs by Christophe Bailleau with poetic fragments by Philippe Franck.

The duo's final project "Suspended Night" was left unfinished before Philippe Franck's death in 2025. It was resumed and completed in 2026 by Christophe Bailleau in collaboration with Transonic and Mahorka.

"This is the last PASTORAL album. PASTORAL was a door to an open world. Philippe, my friend is dead. Life is different, life is still life, but... (Thanks for all Phiphi!)"

Composed and produced by Christophe Bailleau O'Farrell

and Philippe Franck (†)
Cover art by Christophe Bailleau O'Farrell

A Limb: programming for track 2
Kozik: hurdy gurdy on track 7
Isa Belle: tibetan bowls, bells and chimes on track 6
JJ Duerinckx: sax on track 8
Gauthier Keyaerts: bass on track 9

[mhrk509]

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